9 Yr Old Having Tonsils Out

Updated on
January 09, 2008

T.O.
asks from
Olathe, KS
on January 05, 2008

17
answers

My 9 yr old daughter is having her tonsils and adenoids removed next week. I want to know what should we expect and how long is recovery. The doctor has told us she will need to miss an entire week of school! I have never been through this so I have no idea what to expect so any advice will be greatly appreciated.

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So What Happened?

She had her tonsils and adenoids out yesterday and did wonderful. She is a lot sorer today than yesterday but is loving the fudgesicles and attention, and can't wait to go get a sonic slushie. Thanks for all the great advice!

More Answers

S.P.

answers from
Joplin
on
January 05, 2008

My 2 boys had thier tonsils out at ages 5 and 3. One child hung out on the couch for a couple of days, but the other one was up and running the day after surgery! I'm not so sure about the out of school for a week idea. Maybe other mothers have had that experience. Perhaps they could schedule her surgery for late in the week and then she would have the weekend to recover. She will probably feel so much better after she recovers compared to before the surgery. Both of our boys also had tubes in thier ears at the same time and life was so much better. They could hear once again (they had lost some hearing), thier appetite improved and thier overall attitudes were much better.
If she has a favorite bear, doll or blanket, they will let her take it in to surgery with her. I know she's 9, but it will still be a great comfort to her. We've had a few bears that have gone through surgery. :) They even had thier own arm band.
Good luck.

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C.S.

answers from
Kansas City
on
January 06, 2008

My 9 year old just had her tonsils and adnoids out over the Christmas break from school. The worst part was when she would wake up her throat had dried up so we would spend an hour sipping liquid making sure that she had the pain medicine. Rebeka refused to take the tylenol with codine so we ended up having to give her ibuprofin every 4 hours but always double check with the dr before you change the medicine. Rebeka couldn't tolerate the cold foods and ended up living on hot tea and soup but each child is different so be prepared. I now have a case of popcicles that went unused :). It took her about 10 days before she was back to her normal self and didnt need the pain medicine anymore. Good luck and just be prepared for possibly having a very easily tired child who needs lots of sleep and quiet time.

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D.B.

answers from
Tulsa
on
January 07, 2008

My six year old had an T&A last June. I would expect that time frame to be correct. The couple of days are not bad, but day five (for us) was the worst. That is when his scabs starting coming off and this was very painful. Days five and six were pretty bad and then he gradually starting feeling better. Keep her hydrated and don't be afraid to use the pain medicine!! It was about a 10 day recovery for him. Good luck! On a good note, he doesn't remember it being so bad and is quick to recommend it ("You need to get your tonsils out...It fixed me!") to people who get "strep" often!

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T.L.

answers from
Peoria
on
January 06, 2008

Hello T.,
My son had his tonsil/adnoids out at age 5. I'm not sure how your child will react at 9 yrs. verses mine at 5 years. But this is our experience. He came out of recovery scared. He just wanted to be told that he would be alright. We made him take crushed ice chips/ice water sips because he did not want any type of ice cream. His face was red, puffy, and swelled which went away in a couple of days. He needed help moving around for the first few hours because he hurt everywhere and was off balance. He could barely talk and the doctors did not want him to talk for the first few hours so with him being so young we wrote pics on paper to have him point to what he wanted: drink, bathroom, ice, medicine for pain etc. He just wanted to be held. Later on in the evening once the tylenol with codeine kicked in, he would get up and move around on his own and he would sort of be a kid again. His doctors kept him out of school for two weeks. One week for the recovery is very necessary for the operation. It took him about 5 days to really get back up on his feet again because of the pain and balance from his throat/ears. And the doctor kept him out of school the extra week to continue to recover. The doc said that he didn't want my son to get run down too quickly or to catch any cold virus out there which would be bad for his throat and for his recovery. We were told up front that he would need two weeks home for recovery....even though on that second week he "looked" better. The doc said that he would need the second week to build up his immune system and get his body strengthened again. Not all doctors have the same advice. While he was home that first couple of days, he would go through times of very much pain so we would have him suck on pop sickles and we made him slushies alot. The doctors said to make sure he drinks alot of water, so we were constantly trying to get him to drink water even if it was just a little bit at first. Cold applesauce seemed to help alot as well. We made sure to crush/puree it before giving it to him. He also ate mashed potatoes alot those first few days. And he liked to eat chicken broth for the meat flavoring (We cooked Campbells noodle soup and took the noodles out at first until he was able to eat the noodles and then included the noodles later.) When we first come home he wanted to have hot/cold compresses. We took a wash rag and would wet it with cold and then warm and just layed it across his throat as he layed down. But I think the key to his success was merely continuing to tell him that he would be okay and that the pain would not last long. I'm sure that not all kids are the same with their recovery. My son did really good with everything. He had times of crying alot because of the soreness and because he couldn't talk for a couple of days. It is worth having the surgery!!! It seemed like my son was having ear infections/sore throats every other month. And since his surgery four years ago, he has only had ear infections just a few times.(no more than 3 that I can remember.) And he no longer snores which is a plus!!!! Good luck with your experience! I wish you and your daughter well!

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C.R.

answers from
Rockford
on
January 06, 2008

Give her alot of popsicles, ice-cream and love. She will most likely sleep alot the first few days, so maybe read to her alot. Be very careful to feed her very soft and cold foods so she doe'snt pop the stitches and start to bleed. Give her the pain medication the doc prescribes as directed. Maybe buy some activity books or something she can play with in her bed.( So when she starts feeling a little better, but you still feel she needs to be in bed,she has something new and fun to do.)Good luck and I hope everything goes well- C. in Illinois

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J.G.

answers from
Oklahoma City
on
January 06, 2008

My daughter had her tonsils and adenoids out back in March of last year. We had a rough time b/c she had an allergic reaction to the pain meds she was given and also became dehydrated. She hurt pretty badly. My only suggestion would be to stay on top of the pain so that she doesn't start hurting too bad. Good luck!!

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M.S.

answers from
Kansas City
on
January 05, 2008

I'm new here. It is a bigger recovery to have BOTH tonsils and adenoids out at the same time. Most here are just talking about tonsils - easier. My son, now 9, had tonsils, adenoids removed and tubes in ears all at the same time 2 years ago. He was out of school for over a week! Make sure you give her the prescription tylenol every 4 hours (it doesn't work quite 4 hours) They really need it, but the taste is awful! My son was excited about the thought of ice cream and posicles, but it wore off after the first day. He had no appetite. Do not look in your child's mouth - YUCK!

Sorry for the glum information, but fortunately, he was so much better after the surgery! Does not snore anymore, and rarely gets a cold!

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K.M.

answers from
Chicago
on
January 05, 2008

my daughter had her tonsils out when she was 2 She was awesome and even ate a few french fries on the way home. I heard that this is not the norm. She did feel bad for the first 2 days but by the end of the second she was feeling much better. Just have high hopes and alot of ice cream:)

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C.M.

answers from
Enid
on
January 06, 2008

my 6yo had his tonsils and adnoids removed about a week ago. He was kinda sleepy and blah the day of surgery. The next day he was starting to bounce back and be a kid again. Make sure you have tons of popsicles, ice cream, soup, mac and cheese, oatmeal, grits, mashed potates and some soups. The hardest part for us was the middle of the night water and pain med trips about twice a night. He had his removed during chirstmas break so he didn't miss the week of school for recovery. He is still on a soft diet for another week/week and a half. It's a pain but well worth the trouble. He no longer snores and sleeps so much better.

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S.T.

answers from
Rockford
on
January 07, 2008

T.:
You can expect quite a bit of soreness and tenderness. Your daughter may not be able to swallow well for that first week and may still have some trouble after that. She will need to be kept as quiet as possible for the first day or so at least, and plan on lots of popsicles. The cold as well as the liquid will help. My daughter was 12 when she had her tonsils out, and it was very hard for her. I hope this helps you. Good luck.

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D.D.

answers from
St. Louis
on
January 06, 2008

T.,
My son, Ryan, had his tonsils and adenoids removed at the age of 4 and I can tell you that it DID take a whole week for him to recover. I suggest you block out your schedule for a full week to sit and watch her favorite shows, eat a lot of icees, and be prepared to just help your child through this. If you don't think you can do this for a whole week, you will definitely want to call in for back up service if at all possible. I couldn't believe how sore Ryan's throat would be, but I guess the way to look at it is like having your throat on fire, sore, and scratchy for a long time. Perhaps this perspective will make the healing process easier. As a student, it may be hard to put aside your studies for the week, but perhaps you can fit in some reading, etc. when your daughter naps through the first day or two.

Hang in there! It won't be forever, but it WILL take a while!!

I am a 48 year old mom of a 16 yr. old son, 13 yr. old son, and 9 yr. old daughter.

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D.W.

answers from
St. Louis
on
January 06, 2008

Hi, T..

I am 33 with 3 kids and my 2nd one is 9 having Adnoids taking out tomorrow for the 2nd time. When his tonsils were taking out before with the adnoids he had had a sore throut for a few days but nothing motrin didnt cure.
He has a lot of anxiety and is nervous about it tomorrow but Ill let you know how it goes this time at age 9.

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S.W.

answers from
Oklahoma City
on
January 09, 2008

My 5 yr old daughter did great just week end recovery time. My son on the other hand was 11 his throat still hurt off and on for a month. Every child is different but I wouldn't let them have any pop or carbon berv. it hurts going down. Good luck!

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A.K.

answers from
Tulsa
on
January 05, 2008

My daughter just had this done last week,,,plus a little cyst removed by her temple..her tonsils and adnoids were huge...she was very sore for three days getting better the fourth and back to coloring! She was out for Chrsttmas break anyway, but i would think that a week woudl be a good amount of tiem to miss school. Getting her to drink fluids was a challenge, but after the second day it will get better...A

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J.W.

answers from
Kansas City
on
January 06, 2008

I had my tonsils out when I was 13 and only missed 3 days of school, they came out on a Monday and I was back at school on Thursday. Two of my daughters had theirs out at 3 1/2 and where back to messing around the day after. Just stock up on a lot of popsicles, ice cream, soup anything that doesn't scratch the throat. Good Luck!

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B.H.

answers from
Kansas City
on
January 06, 2008

Both of my children got their tonsils out at a young age, 3 and 4. It isn't fun by any means. They hated taking the medicine, but once they realized it made them feel better, it became a non-issue. The thing you probably want major heads up on is that the 3-5 day can be pretty bad because the healing really sets in. Both of our kids have thrived since having it done, though. We would absolutely do it again in a heart beat. Good luck!

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B.S.

answers from
St. Louis
on
January 06, 2008

I had my tonsils removed as a 27-yr-old. I told my boss I thought I would be out just a few days, but in total I ended up missing 7 or 8 days of work. It was an incredibly painful recovery. I have heard this surgery is much worse for adults than for children, so I hope your daughter comes out much better than I did! But I would for sure plan on her missing a week of school. Make sure you've got lots of fluids around, and cold things like ice cream or frozen yogurt which are soothing on the throat. I would also get a little writing pad and pencil on which your daughter can write you notes the first few days when it's too painful to communicate using speech. Hope it goes well for you guys!